Spectres
by La Virgen
Summary: Jeff Hardy's darkened mood is intercepted by a ray of light.
1. Default Chapter

Jeff Hardy would never get up from his bed. The life of a wrestler had grown too tiring and unpleasant, and now all he wanted do was to be left alone just for one minute. He knew he wouldn't get the chance. His job was seemingly more important than any social downtime.  
But he needed rest and he wouldn't be dragged out of bed if it was the last thing he would do.  
The tears dripped down his face as he lay there, so quiet and heartbroken. He never stirred, just cried. There were no hysterics when he cried; he would just lay there silently and let the tears fall. It was the normal thing to do, according to himself. And needless to say, others were worried. His older brother Matt and friend Amy Dumas would come in and check on him, only to be greeted by silence. It was frightening that Jeff would never respond. Only tears were there.   
The poor guy had completely shut himself off from the rest of the world.  
Motionless and mute, no one could quite figure out what was wrong. The doctors just diagnosed him as depressed. Depressed over what? His father couldn't even find the answer.  
Then one night as Jeff was sleeping, he felt a hand brush against his cheek and wiping the tears away from his eyes. Then, he heard the sweet silvery voice singing to him:  
  
"Smile though your heart is aching  
Smile even though it's breaking  
When there are clouds in the sky  
You'll get by  
If you smile through all your fear and sorrow  
Smile, and maybe tomorrow  
You'll find that life is still worthwhile  
If you just....smile."  
  
The soft hand moved underneath his chin and lifted his face, causing him to break out a small, curious grin---almost childlike. He felt he knew who this was. The hand was soon replaced by lips across his face....and when the lips pulled back, the bright light was shining in his face.  
And soon, he found his eyelids growing heavier and heavier......  
  



	2. Part 2

A knock came on the door the following morning. A tired Matt came down the stairs and opened the door to find a young woman in her twenties standing there. She was dressed in black and her eyes were puffy, giving off the appearance that she had arrived from a funeral. Her hair, a thick curly chestnut, was pulled back into a loose bun with the tendrils flying in the wind along the sides of her face. She had almond-shaped, strikingly beautiful cobalt blue eyes and slightly pouty lips doused with strawberry red lipstick and lipgloss. She looked Mediterranean with the olive skin and the buxom body, and she officially stood at 5'6" with a three-inch heel accentuation. She seemed as mysterious as the Mona Lisa, but trusting as the truest of friends.  
Matt let her in and led her upstairs to the bedroom where Jeff was laying. He was, as usual, motionless...but he wasn't awake. The young woman touched his flesh and felt the warmth, while Jeff shuddered in discomfort. He awoke with a start, and the woman quickly moved her hand away from his face. he didn't turn his face yet and it seemed he was going into his familiar mode of depression.  
The woman carefully sat on the bed and moved his color-streaked hair from his eyes to try and get a better look at him. She finally bent down and kissed his cheek, which soon prompted him to turn his face and look at her. His eyes soon began to well with tears, but out of happiness. The young woman smiled back, and soon so was Matt who was joined by Amy and his father.  
"Jeff," the young woman whispered, "it's Starr. Baby, it's me. I'm home. I've come home, darling. I know you've missed me, and I have missed you, too."  
Then, Jeff's trembling hand began to raise from underneath the sheets where it had continually laid at his side. He stroked her face with the back of his hand and spoke the first words that came out of his mouth......the first words he spoke in such a long time.  
"Welcome home....my angel. Welcome home."   



	3. Part 3

Her hands felt warm as they conversed with their eyes, and Jeff never wanted to let go. In love he truly was and he felt it every day that she was gone. Starr, as he saw her, was his soulmate, his trusting friend and confidante. Every waking moment that she wasn't there he would miss her terribly, feeling the pull of his heartstrings and wincing within the aches and pins that burdened him in her absence. But in his misery, he found the truth in the old saying that absence makes the heart grow fonder.

"I've missed you," she said, her head resting upon his shoulder. "I guess the feeling was mutual. You never rose from your bed, never moved, but always cried. I know that feeling. I thought I couldn't go on without you. I want you to know that I trust you completely, darling…..and I hope you trust me, too."

"Of course I do, baby," Jeff replied sweetly, smoothing down her hair. "How could I not trust you?"

Starr slowly sat up and asked, "How would you feel…..if I told you that I was with another man?"

He stared at her, his heart starting to pull again. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "It didn't really happen. It's….just a question."

"Well," Jeff wondered, "why did you ask?"

"I was wondering what your reaction would be, how you felt about the whole thing," she answered. "I'm sorry. I guess it was just an inappropriate question asked at the wrong time."

Jeff sat up and took her hand once again. "I'm not criticizing you. You know that, right?"

"Unless I missed something, you never have," she pointed out. "I'd never want to hurt you, Jeff."

He stroked her cheek and pulled her close. "I wouldn't want to hurt you, either," he declared.

As they held each other, Jeff placed a hand on her stomach and sighed deeply. Starr placed her hand on top of his and a tear slipped from her eye. She knew they didn't want that to happen, either.


	4. Spectres Part 4

Starr and Jeff walked across the threshold three months later, now pronounced man and wife. It was a huge step to take, with all the problems in their life. Now with their rings and their shared vows of eternal monogamy, their were ready to start anew.

It wasn't until one night that Jeff had found Starr bleeding and unconscious in their bed. He took her to the hospital, where he finally was told that she was pregnant with twins. He was told that if the twins were not delivered immediately, they would not survive. On the other hand, if the doctors could not control Starr's hemorrhaging, she would more likely die than the twins would.

By Caesarean, their twin son and daughter had arrived, but Starr had stopped breathing. Jeff had stayed every night throughout the week she had been in the hospital. Things looked bleak for her, but no one was ready to give up on her---not even Jeff. They just got married. They had a family to raise. Jeff didn't want to raise his children alone!

On the seventh night, Starr's eyes finally opened, but stared blankly in space. The only thing she could understand was the sound of Jeff talking to her.

"Hey, baby doll," he whispered tenderly, "I missed you so much! We all missed you terribly. We thought you wouldn't survive. We have a beautiful baby girl and a handsome baby boy. Starr, why aren't you saying anything?"

Her eyes finally cast themselves upon Jeff, and with a sad smile, she took his hand. 

"I never thought I had to do this," she said weakly, "but… I really have to go. Something was telling me that I couldn't stay here. That's why I came back. My time was so short, and I knew it would be. I'm not sick or anything, except in my heart. Listen to me, Jeff: I want you to take care of the children for me when I leave, and I want you to always tell them about me. Don't let them believe that I was never real. Tell them that… I'll always love them….. and I hope they'll love me just as much."

Jeff wanted to tell her that she couldn't leave, but he couldn't get the words out. She knew this, and he would never have thought this if he didn't love her as much as he did. So with much reluctance, he complied with her request as he turned out the lights and watched her fade away. He placed his head upon her stomach and sobbed bitterly, but stopped when he saw the bright light from the window. He heard the song in his head once again and took the hand of his dead beloved…. watching the spirit fly to the moon.

**The End**


End file.
